Recording device



April 2, 1940- w. E. NAYLOR ET AL RECORDING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvgwons S *ATTORN EY April 1940- w. E. NAYLOR El AL ,868

RECORDING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

ATTORNEY April 1940- w. E. NAYLOR :T m. 2, 8

RECORDING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1958 4 Spats-Sheet 3 "h I Q L a mvErgToizs ATTORNEY April 2, 1940.

FIG. 6.

W. E. NAYLOR El AL RECORDING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .58 '7 v[Ill/R I39 "1 FIG. 7. m,

TH 399 1 9 8 3 8| W3 1 9 9 3 8 93 2 0 0 6 9| TH $15 2 0 1 0 4 W \mENTqRs I ATTORNEY PatentedApr.2.l940

um'rso s'rAras PATENT OFFICE IIOOBDING DEVICE nels poration of New York Application March 24, 1688, Serial No. 167,946

4 Claims. (Cl. 284-36.!

This invention relates to printing machines and more specifically to printing machines of the remote control type in which data is caused to beprintedonatapewhichisfedatthetimeof printing from electrical impulses initiated from a remote source.

It is well known that the tramc conditions both as to vehicular and pedestrian trafilc has increased so rapidly that many problems have been presented. In the vehicular field particularly, the roads have been crowded to a point where large expenditures for building new roads to relieve others already built and to widen and improve all roads have been made. In order to determine at what points expenditures could be made to the greatest advantage, it has been the custom in the past to station observers at a fixed point along the highway to observe and count the passing traillc. To procure accurate figures this required a long and tedious vigil with no check up on the operator to make sure that he was attending strictly to duty. It is the purpose of the applicant's invention to provide a machine which, when connected to the proper control, will per- 26 form its operation automatically and unattended.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a printing device which will automatically print an account at predetermined intervals of time together with the time of day and the 80 day of the week whereby successive counts will determine the number of objects recorded on the sheet for each hour of the day.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a printing device which is operated remotely 36 by commercial current and which upon current failure will eflect a printing operation immediately upon the resumption of the power supply and thereafter at the regular stated time intervals, thereby giving indication of such current 40 failure by the lack of continuity of the record and the time differential as shown by the last timed record on the sheet and the time of day at which the operator removes the sheet.

4 Further objects of the instant invention reside in any novel feature of construction or operation or novel combination of parts present in the embodiment of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings whether within or 50 without the scope of the appended claims and irrespective of other specific statements as to the scope of the invention contained herein.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of the device;

68 Fig. 2 shows a side elevation;

Fig.3showsadetailportionofthetimed mechanism:

Fig. 4 shows a detail view of the coimting mechanism; ms131g.5isadetailviewoftherilibonmecha- I Fig.6isawiringdiagramofthemachine; and

Fig. 7 shows a section of the tape.

The machine in general is mounted on a supporting plate II at the back with studs l2 10 mounted thereon and projecting forward to support other suitable plates for iournaling rotating parts and supporting numerous sub-assembly supporting brackets.

Timing mechanism The timing mechanism is provided with a synchronous motor I! having a series of reduction gears not shown but enclosed in a housing ll which is mounted on a supporting plate i I. Such an motors and reduction gears are well known in the art as, for instance, that shown in the patent to H. E. Warren No. 1,495,936, dated May 27, 1924. A shaft i6 (Fig. 3) issues from the reduction gearing and passes through the support- 2!! ing plate Ii to the front side of the plate. said shaft making one revolution per minute. Fixed to the shaftvare cams l1 and it. A cam wiper i6 cooperates with the cam l1 and is rotatably mounted on a shaft 26. The cam wiper is formed so in a U-shaped member having one leg portion II and the other leg shown at 2i. This cam wiper is urged in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 22 anchored to the bracket 23. An extension 24 integral with the leg 2i cooperates with a notched wheel 26 to prevent overthrow when the cam wiper I6 is dropped from the point of the cam. The pawl 21 is pivotally mounted on the member 2! and urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 26 and also cooperates with the notches in the wheel 26. A retaining pawl 26 is pivotally mounted at 30 and urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 3|. As the cam l6 turns in a clockwise direction, the cam wiper I9 is raised and the projection 24 disengaged from the notches and the pawl 21 is retracted along the edge of the wheel when the cam wiper drops from the high point. The power in the spring 22 causes the pawl 21 which is engaged in one of the notches to move the wheel 26 in a clockwise direction. This wheel is moved ,6 of a revolution for each drop of the cam wiper [8, thus causing the wheel 26 to make one complete revolution in an hour.

The wheel 26 is rotatably mounted on a bushing 35 and has a minute type wheel 44 fixed to it so that it makes one revolution per hour. The type wheel has type characters on its periphery for 00 to 59 representing minutes. A cam 25 (Fig. 2) similar to the cam 33 is fixed to the wheel 26 on the opposite side from the type wheel. This cam therefore is located in back of the notched wheel 42 and in front of the wheel 26 as viewed in Fig. 3.

The end of a cam wiper 35 rides on the cam 25 fixed to the minute wheel 26 which will hereafter be called the minute wheel cam. The cam wiper is fixed to a bushing rotatably mounted on shaft 36. A pawl carrier 40 is also fixed to the same bushing and the carn'wiper 35 is provided with a projection 50 integral therewith, so that the cam wiper, its projection and the pawl carrier move in unison. The minute wheel cam is a one step cam and, as the wheel 26 makes one revolution per hour, the pawl arm 40 will be raised and dropped once per hour. Pivotally mounted at one end of the pawl carrier 40 is a pawl 4| which engages the notches of the wheel 42. A retaining pawl 43 which is pivoted on a shaft 30 engages the notches in the wheel 42 to hold it against counterclockwise rotation. When the pawl carrier 46 is raised to allow the pawl 4| to engage the notch above the end of the pawl carrier, such as indicated at 45, and then dropped, the angular end of the pawl strikes the pin 46 fixed in the end of the retaining pawl and disengages it from the notch of the wheel 42, to permit the wheel to be advanced an angular distance of one notch each time the pawl 4| is raised and dropped. There are 24 notches in the wheel 42 representing the twenty-four hours in the day, so that the wheel 42 will make one rotation a day. The wheel 42 is fixed to the bushing 35 which is rotatively mounted on the shaft 32 and an hour type wheel 46 (Fig. 2) is fixed to the other end of said bushing, so that it makes one revolution per day as does the wheel 42.

Said type wheel carries type characters designating the hours of the day.

The cam 33 is fixed to the wheel 42 and engages a cam wiper 34 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 36. A member 38 having a projection 39 offset to lie in the plane of the cam wiper 34 is fixed to the shaft 36. The projection 39 abuts the under side of cam wiper 39 and is held in contact by means of the spring 31; at the opposite end of the shaft 36 is type wheel actuating mechanism of exactly the same type as those just described with a pawl, similar to pawl 4|, engaging a notched wheel 41 (Fig. 2) which is fixed to the day type wheel 55. As the cam wiper 34 is raised and lowered once a day, it carries the member 38 which oscillates the shaft 36 to raise and lower the pawl cooperating with the notched wheel 41 to advance it one tooth. There are 14 notches on the wheel 41, so that it makes a complete cycle every two weeks and the day type wheel has 14 day characters representing the days of the week repeated twice. The type actuating mechanism and transfer mechanism just described are old in the art and are shown in more detail in U. S. Patent No. 552,232 (Fig. 12) and in U. S. Patent No. 671,126 (Fig. 10).

Cam wipers 48 cooperate with a cam l8 to close the contact fingers 49 once each minute for a duration of about two seconds. These contacts are designed to close on the exact 60th second of the minute. Such contacts are old and fully described in the patent to C. E. Larrabee, No. 1,878,931, and are shown in Fig. 2 of that patent as operating contact 28 in that figure. Fixed to the arm 4|) is an extension 58 which is pivotally connected to a link 5| of a toggle, the other link of which is shown at 52 and is pivotally attached to a contact block 53 pivoted at 54 to the supporting plate 56. The contact block is biased in a clockwise direction by a spring 51 and has mounted thereto and insulated therefrom a con tact 58. As the cam wiper 34 is raised by the cam 33, the projection 50 rotates in a counterclockwise direction and the links 5| and 52 straighten out to form a straight line between their extreme pivot points on the projection 58 and contact block 53. When the cam wiper 34 drops from the high point of the cam, the projection 50 rotates in a clockwise direction causing the contact block 53-to. alsorotate counterclockwise so that the contact 58 closes with the contact 59 which is mounted on the bracket 23 but nsulated therefroml A limit stop 60 limits the rotation of the contact block 54 in a clockwise direction. A bell crank 6| is pivoted on the shaft 36 and extends behind the lever 40 with an upwardly turned projection 62 and has a turned over end 63 which lies in the plane of the toggle 5|, 52. For reasons to be explained later, the minute the contacts 58 and 59 close, the bell crank 6| is rotated counterclockwise so that the turned over portion 63 strikes the projection 64 of the toggle which has been moved to the right from the position shown in Fig. 3, due to the dropping of the cam wiper 34. When the projection 64 is struck, the straight line of the toggle is broken and the spring 51 immediately opens the contacts 58, 59. The bell crank 6| is pivotally connected to a lever 66 and is operated thereby in a manner to be described later.

Counting mechanism To the supporting plate 61 which is mounted on the studs I2 is mounted a magnet assembly 68 including a magnet 69 having a solenoid plunger 10 reciprocably mounted in its core (Fig. 2). The plunger is provided with a slot 1| at its lower end having the pin 12 (Fig. 4) which engages a slot in one arm 13 of a U-shaped member 14 which is pivotally mounted on a stud 16. The other arm 11 has an oiT-set portion 18 which runs parallel with the shaft 19 and supports at its outer end an insulating block 88 which lies in the plane of the lower blade of the normally open contacts 8|. Two pawls 82, 83 are pivotally mounted on the arm 11 of the U-shaped member and cooperate with the ratchet wheel 84. The pawls are urged into cooperation with said ratchet wheel by means of springs 86, 81.

When the solenoid 10 is lifted by energizati'on of the magnet 69, the ratchet wheel 84 is rotated in a clockwise direction a distance of half a tooth. The pawl 83 retrog'resses a half tooth as the ratchet wheel moves forward so that it engages the next successive tooth so that, upon deenergization of the magnet 69, the solenoid plunger drops and the pawl 83 moves the ratchet wheel for the remaining half of the tooth arc with a result that the ratchet wheel moves a distance of one tooth with each up and down movement of the plunger. A spring 88 attached to an extension 89 of the U-shaped member 14 biases the same in a counterclockwise direction. A units type wheel 98 is fixed to the ratchet wheel 84 having units one to zero thereon and the type wheel has ten teeth so that each advance of the ratchet wheel for one tooth turns up a succeeding number in the units type wheel.

arouses Transfer from the units to the tens and from the tens to the hundreds is accomplished by the usual well known Geneva type of transfer. The

type wheels as a group are generally shown at 9I in Fig. 2.

Printing mechanism A magnet assembly generally shown at 92 is mounted to its supporting plate II and includes a magnet 93 having a hollow core inside of which is a solenoid plunger 94. An anvil 99 having a projection 91 extending into the core of the magnet rests on the upper end of the magnet assembly and is provided with a platen 99. When the magnet 93 is energized, the plunger 94 is drawn up into the coils striking the projection of the anvil 99 and throwing the platen against the type wheels.

A ribbon 99 and a record strip I00 pass between the type wheels and the platen with the ribbon adjacent the type wheels and the record strip adjacent the platen, so that when the platen is projected against the type wheels a printing of the type is effected on the paper strip. A pin I M is fixed to the plunger 94 and engages the lower edge of the lever I02 which is pivotally mounted at I03. When the magnet 93 is energlzed and the plunger 94 is propelled upwards, the engagement of the lever I02 with the pin I9I causes the lever to be rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 1. The lever I 02 is normally biased in a clockwise direction by a spring I04 and is provided with a hook-shaped end I09 (Fig. 5) which engages the end I01 of a lever I09 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft I09 and which is biased in a clockwise direction by a spring IIO. A pawl III is pivotally mounted to the lever I09 and held in engagement with a ratchet lever II2 by a spring II3. As the lever I02 rocks in a counterclockwise direction, the hooked end I06 is raised and the lever I09 is rotated clockwise by spring IIO so that the pawl is rotated to pick up two teeth of the ratchet wheel H2 and upon the return downward of the hooked end I06, the ratchet wheel is rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The ratchet wheel I I2 is fixed to the shaft I09 which carries a receiving spool II4 which is splined to the shaft to rotate with it. The receiving spool has one end of the paper strip I00 fastened thereto which is wound onto the spool as the paper is fed by means of the turning of the ratchet H2. The paper is supplied from a supply roll II9 which is pivotally mounted on a stud I I1. The shaft I09 is journaled in the plate II and extends to the bracket II9 which together provide a cantilever support for the other end of the shaft on which the receiving spool is mounted. The ribbon 99 is a continuous ribbon, and is carried over spools II9 which are rotated and mounted on pins over an ink supplying roll I20 which is made of suitable absorbent material to carry a supply around a take-up spool I2I. The take-up spool is mounted on a lever I22 pivoted at I23 and biased in a clockwise direction by a spring I24. This spool is for the purpose of taking up the slack in the ribbon and creating a typical pressure and friction drive between the ribbon and the supply roll I20. The ribbon is fed at the same time that the paper strip is fed by means of the gear I26 fixed to the shaft I09 and meshing with a gear I21 which is fixed to the ink supply roll I20, both of which are rotatably mounted on the stud I29.

It will be noted that the feeding of the paper I the traflic.

strip and the ribbon is eifected after printing upon the downward movement of this solenoid plunger 94.

Pivotally mounted to the left end of the lever I02 as viewed in Fig. 5 is the link 99 previously referred to. This link has a pin I29 mounted thereon and extending into the path of the blades of contact I30 (Fig. 3). As the lever I02 is rocked counterclockwise when printing is effected, the link 96 is drawn downwardly rocking the bell crank 9| counterclockwise to cause the off-set end of the bell crank 93 to break the toggle 6|, 62 as previously explained. When printing is effected, a number shown on the counter and the day and time are printed on the strip in alignment as shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of the machine will now be described.

The terminal posts I3l may be connected with any type of control system that may be eiiected by the passing of traflic which will send one electrical impulse to the magnet I32 each time a unit passes. Such a control system may be of the well-known type of contact mechanism placed in the ground for the wheels to run over as is used in connection with traflic lights or it may be a light sensitive cell operated control device having a light beam thrown across the path of For the purposes of describing the operation of the recording device, it will be assumed that the operation is controlled by the latter type such as that shown in the patent to W. D. Cockrell, No. 1,995,881, dated March 26, 1935. Although this control device is shown in operation of counting persons passing through the beam, it may be well understood that the beams could be thrown across the roadway to be intercepted by the passing of automobiles. With such a control device being used, the circuit that is run to the counter I4 as shown in the Cockrell patent would be in this instance connected to the terminal posts I3I shown in the applicant's device whereby electrical impulses would be received by the magnet I32 each time an automobile or other vehicle cut the light beams. Such impulses would energize the magnet I 32 of a relay causing the relay contacts I33 to close. would be connected to the terminals I34 and I36. With the closing of the contacts I33, current will then flow through the line I31, contacts I33 now closed, counter magnet 69, normally closed, relay contacts I39, wires I39, I40, I 4I causing the counter magnet to be energized and rotating the type wheel in the manner previously explained.

In the event that a vehicle should stop in the path of the light beams, the relay magnet I32 would remain energized. In order to prevent the counter magnet 69 from being held up, a circuit is provided from the terminal I36 through line I31, relay contact I33, relay coil I42, line I43, counter-operated contacts 9I, lines'I44, I39, I40, and I to the terminal I34. As previously explained, when the counter magnet 69 is energized, the contacts 9i close. The closure of these contacts in the circuit just described, energizes relay magnet I42 and causes the normally closed contacts I39 to open thereby breaking the circuit to the counter magnet 69 and causes relay contacts I46 to close, thereby establishing a stick circuit through the relay magnet I42 as follows: From the terminal I36, through line I31, relay contacts I33, relay magnet I42 and its contact I46 now closed, lines I39, I40, and I to the ter- A source of commercial power supply' minal I 34. The relay magnet I42 therefore will remain energized as long as the light beams remain broken.

The motor I 3 is connected across the terminals l I34 and'I38 and runs constantly while the power supply is available The minute contacts 49 are controlled by the cam I B and are connected in series with the hour contacts 58 and 59 which are controlled by the cam ii. In order to simplify the diagram, these contacts are diagrammatically shown in Fig. 7 as being directly controlled by the cam instead of through the linkages as explained in connection with Fig. 3.

The adjustment of the hour contacts and their associated cam is such as to cause the contact to close within the range of plus or minus thirty seconds of the hour, so that these contacts will be closed when the minute contact 49 closes on the sixtieth second of the sixtieth minute of the hour. The closure of these two sets of contacts in series will energize the print magnet 93 to effect a printing operation by the following circuit: From terminal I34, line I H, minute contacts 49, hour contacts 58 and 59, print magnet 93, line I41 to the terminal I 36. A relay consisting of a relay magnet I48 and relay contacts I49 and I50 is normally held in an energized position with the relay magnet I48 energized so that the relay contacts I 49 are normally held in closed position to close a holding circuit for this magnet as follows: From terminal I34 to lines I4I, I40, I5I, relay magnet I48, relay contacts I49, lines I52 and I41 to the terminal I36. It will be recalled that the link 66 carrying a pin I29 closes the contacts I each time the print magnet is energized. In the event that there is an interruption in the power supply, means are provided to effect a printing operation immediately upon the resumption of said power supply regardless of the time after which the regular timed cycle of printing is effected. This is accomplished as follows: When the power supply is interrupted, relay magnet I48 becomes deenergized opening its contacts I49 and closing the contacts I50. Immediately upon the resumption of the power cycle, current passes through the magnet 93 to energize the same and effect a printing operation through the following circuit: From terminal I36, through line I41, printing magnet 93, line I53, relay contacts I50 now closed, line I5I, I40, and I to terminal I34. With the operation of the printing magnet, contacts I30 are closed completing a circuit through the relay magnet I48 as follows: Terminal I38, line I41, contacts I30, line I54, relay magnet I43, lines I5I, I40, and I to the terminal I34. The energization of the magnet I48 opens contacts I50 to break the circuit through the printing magnet and closes contacts I49 to again form a holding circuit for the magnet I48 to hold it in energized position. The printing magnet then functions at the regular timed interval as previously described. It will be seen therefore that with resumption of power after a power failure that the print made will show the time at which the power failed. For example, the last print made as shown in Fig. 7 isi: 15 which shows a power failure at that time. The next impression thereafter will occur on the even hour at 5:00 o'clock machine time, and the observer who collects the records may note the discrepancy between the time indicated by the machine when he makes his observation and his watch to determine the amount of time that the power was off. The attendant, of course, is always instructed to take such a record and correct the time in case there aieasee has been such an interruption of the current. The underscoring under the hour figure represents P. M.; no underscoring is made for A. M. This is in accordance with the usual custom, old in the art.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A record printing machine operatively connected to a source of power supply including type wheels having time recording characters thereon, a platen associated therewith, said type wheels and platen being movable relative to each other to effect a printing operation, electromagnetic means for effecting relative motion between said type wheels and platen, cyclically operated means for controlling the operation of said electromagnetic means, a circuit connecting the power supply source with said cyclically operated means and extending to said electromagnetic means and means, normally held in one position by said power supply, interposed in said circuit between said cyclically operated means and said electromagnetic means to hold the circuit closed between them, said means being moved to an alternate position upon failure of said power supply to open said circuit and to connect said electromagnetic means directly to said power supply whereby said electromagnetic means will be operated upon the termination of said power failure to effect a printing operation.

2. A record printing machine operatively connected to a source of power supply including relatively movable type wheels and platen for effecting printing, electromagnetic means for controlling the relative movement between said type wheels and platen, cyclically operated means for controlling the operation of said electromagnetic means, a circuit connecting the power supply source with said cyclically operated means and extending to said electromagnetic means, means, normally held in one position by said power supply, interposed in said circuit between said cyclically operated means and extending to said electromagnetic means to hold the circuit closed between them, said contacts being moved to an alternate position upon failure of said power supply to open said circuit and to connect said electromagnetic means directly to said power supply whereby said electromagnetic means is operated upon the termination of said power failure to eifect a printing operation, and means controlled by the operation, of said electromagnetic means for causing said last named means to be restored from its alternate position to its normal position whereby the control of the operation of said electromagnetic means by said cyclically operated means is resumed.

3. A record printing machine operatively connected to a source of power supply including type wheels having time recording characters thereon, a platen associated therewith, said type wheels and platen being movable relative to each other to effect a printing operation, an electromagnetic device for effecting relative motion between said type wheels and platen, cyclically operated means for controlling the operation of said electromagnetic device, a circuit connecting the power supply source with said cyclically operated means and extending to said electromagnetic device and means comprising a plurality of contacts normally held in one position by said power supply interposed in said circuit between said cyclically operated means and said electromagnetic device to hold the circuit closed between them, said contacts being moved to an alternate position upon failure of said power supply to open said circuit and to connect said electromagnetic device directly to said power supply whereby said electromagnetic device will be operated upon the termination of said power failure to efl'ect a printing operation.

4. A record printing machine operatively connected to a source of power supply including relatively movable type wheels and a platen for efl'ecting printing, an electromagnetic device for I controlling the relative movement between said type wheels and platen, cyclically operated means for controlling the operation of said electromagnetic device, a circuit connecting the power supply source with said cyclically operated means and extending to said electromagnetic device, means comprising a plurality of contacts normally held in one position by said power supply interposed in said circuit between said cyclically operated means and said electromagnetic device to hold the circuit closed between them, said contacts being moved'to an alternate position upon failure of said power supply to open said circuit and to connect the electromagnetic device directly to the power supply so that said electromagnetic device is operated upon the termination of said power failure to effect a printing operation, and means controlled by the operation of said electromagnetic device for causing said contacts to be restored from the alternate position to the normal position whereby the control of the operation of said electromagnetic device by said cyclically operated means is resumed.

WILLIAM E. NAYLOR. PAUL J. SCHLESSIGER. 

